To increase the passive safety of a passenger of a motor vehicle, situating a passenger airbag in the area of the dashboard, which unfolds in case of a collision and thus catches the passenger, who is displaced forward under inertial forces, is known. The passenger airbag is situated in the folded state on a side of the dashboard facing away from the passenger compartment and exits through an airbag exit openings into the passenger compartment if needed. For aesthetic reasons and to protect the airbag from damage and environmental influences, the airbag exit opening is closed and is only open by the unfolding thereby.
For example, flap configurations having separate flaps, i.e., flaps which are externally visible to the occupants, which are fastened on the dashboard or a passenger airbag module and are pressed out by the unfolding air bag, are known for this purpose from DE 4315853 C2 and EP 0363986 A2.
Alternatively thereto, integrated flap configurations, i.e., which are not visible to the occupants, are known for this purpose.
For example, DE 43 11 241 C1 proposes implementing the flap configuration in one piece with the dashboard surrounding it and implementing intended breakpoints connected by webs through corresponding punching or cutting procedures.
Alternatively, DE 43 06 149 A1 and DE 44 20 929 A1 propose a dashboard support part, which is fastened on the dashboard using screws and encloses an airbag exit opening, which is closed by the flaps connected to the dashboard support part, like a frame.
The particular two flaps of the flap configuration are connected along intended breakpoints by a cover film and along a hinge line to the dashboard support part. This solution requires a relatively high force to open the flaps of the flap configuration. This can have the result that the correspondingly accelerated flaps hit a windshield of the motor vehicle with a high impulse and damage it, which can in turn result in damage of the airbag.
In order to avoid this, for example, DE 41 05 028 A1 proposes providing the flaps of the flap configuration with a cushion. However, like the solution proposed in DE 44 20 929 A1 and DE 43 06 149 A1, this requires a relatively high wall thickness of the flap configuration, connected to a correspondingly high weight.
At least one object of the present invention is therefore to provide a dashboard support part having a flap configuration for closing an airbag exit opening, in which the danger of damage of the windshield is reduced. In addition, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.